Solid-state image capturing device and electronic information device

Abstract

A solid-state image capturing device according to the present invention includes: a photoelectrical conversion section formed in a semiconductor substrate or in a substrate area provided on a substrate; a first transparent film provided on the photoelectrical conversion section; and a lens provided at a position above the first transparent film corresponding to the photoelectrical conversion section, where the lens is formed by using a second transparent film layered by changing a refractive index successively or incrementally, and at least one of top and bottom surfaces of the second transparent film is formed in a convex shape.

Description

[0001]This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Patent Application No. 2008-104138 filed in Japan on Apr. 11, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a solid-state image capturing device comprising semiconductor elements for performing a photoelectric conversion on and capturing an image light from an object, a method for manufacturing the solid-state image capturing element, and an electronic information device, such as a digital camera (e.g., digital video camera and digital still camera), an image input camera, a scanner device, a digital copying machine, a facsimile machine and a camera-equipped cell phone device, having the solid-state image capturing device as an image input device used in an image capturing section of the electronic information device.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]The conventional soli...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0033](2) As indicated in Reference 4 with regard to the refractive index variable microlens and the inner-layer lens formed by layering a refractive index variable material layer formed of an electro-optics ceramics, such as PLZT and LiNbO3 by the spattering method, it is necessary to form transparent electrodes on the top and bottom of the lens and process the wiring for applying a voltage, which results in a problem of complicating the steps and increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, when the refractive index variable microlens is installed in the solid-state image capturing device, the range in which the refractive index can be changed is about 2.2 to 2.6 under the condition where the translucency is maintained by the voltage application and a mechanical strain does not occur. Further, although the refractive index of the overall microlens and inner-layer lens is changed by the voltage application, the improvement on the light focusing rate cannot be expected with respect to the increase on the aspect ratio due to the reduction of the pixel size described in the above (1). Therefore, instead of changing the refractive index of the lens every time in accordance with the diaphragm of the camera lens, it is more advantageous, in terms of the performance and the cost, to design the thickness, shape and refractive index of a microlens and inner-layer lens for each use of the camera and to manufacture a microlens and inner-layer lens suitable for such use.

[0034]The present invention is intended to solve the conventional problems described above. The objective of the present invention is to provide a solid-state image capturing device that is capable of improving the light focusing rate of the microlens and inner-layer lens in response to the required performance of the device, a method for manufacturing the solid-state image capturing device, and an electronic information device, such as a camera-equipped cell phone device, having the solid-state image capturing device as an image input device in an image capturing section thereof.

[0050]An electronic information device according to the present invention includes the solid-state image capturing device according to the present invention as an image input device in an image capturing section, thereby achieving the objective described above.

[0052]In the present invention, a lens is provided at a location on a first transparent film corresponding to the photoelectric conversion section. This lens is formed a second transparent film layered in such a manner to change the refractive index successively or incrementally inside the film, and at least one of the top or bottom surfaces of the second transparent film is formed in a convex shape. As a result, the refractive index of the lens is changed either successively or incrementally inside the film, and a light is focused gradually from a higher position, thereby improving the light focusing efficiency reaching the photoelectric conversion section. Therefore, it becomes possible to achieve a solid-state image capturing device comprising an inner-layer lens and a microlens thereon, which have a high quality and high performance having a desired optical characteristic in which the refractive index is designed in accordance with a required performance of the device.

[0053]According to the present invention with the structure described above, in the field of a solid-state image capturing device including, for example, an inner-layer lens and a microlens thereon as the lenses, a first transparent film is formed on a semiconductor substrate (or semiconductor area) having at least a photoelectric conversion section formed therein, a second transparent film having a refractive index different from that of the first transparent film is formed by changing its refractive index successively or incrementally inside the film, and a convex shape is formed on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the second transparent film at a location on the first transparent film corresponding to the photoelectric conversion section. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain a solid-state image capturing device comprising an inner-layer lens and a microlens thereon, which have a high quality and high performance having a desired optical characteristic in which the refractive index is designed in accordance with a required performance of the device.

Problems solved by technology

(2) As indicated in Reference 4 with regard to the refractive index variable microlens and the inner-layer lens formed by layering a refractive index variable material layer formed of an electro-optics ceramics, such as PLZT and LiNbO3 by the spattering method, it is necessary to form transparent electrodes on the top and bottom of the lens and process the wiring for applying a voltage, which results in a problem of complicating the steps and increasing the manufacturing cost.

Further, although the refractive index of the overall microlens and inner-layer lens is changed by the voltage application, the improvement on the light focusing rate cannot be expected with respect to the increase on the aspect ratio due to the reduction of the pixel size described in the above (1).

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